ADRIAN — A split over leadership of the Lenawee County Commission was resolved Friday with a secret ballot election of John Tuckerman, R-Blissfield, for a third year as chairman.

Commis­sioners voted unanimously to use a rare secret ballot vote after Tuckerman and Cletus Smith, R-Madison Twp., were nominated at the annual re-organization meeting. Slips of paper collected from the commissioners showed five votes for Tuckerman and four for Smith.

A glitch in state law allows county commissioners to use a secret vote for chairman that would otherwise be a violation of Michigan's Open Meetings Act.

No such exemption exists for the commission's vice chairman seat. Commissioners again split 5-4 to re-elect David Stimpson, R-Tecumseh, as vice chairman. Chris Wittenbach, R-Clinton, was the losing candidate.

After the votes, Smith said he is committed to working with Tuckerman "for the betterment of the county" in the commission's new term.

"Welcome aboard, Mr. chairman. Whatever I can do for you I will," Smith said.

Tuckerman later said he appreciated Smith's interest in becoming commission chairman.

"I think it's an honor and a privilege to lead the county," Tuckerman said.

His goals for the new year, he said, are to see Lenawee County emerge from the hard economic times of recent years and to reform the system of county government to give the administrator more authority, especially to quickly deal with matters affecting economic development.

Commissioners approved a slate of committee assignments Tuckerman proposed at the reorganizational meeting, but only on an interim basis. Final action is normally taken on committee assignments at the reorganizational meeting. Tillotson asked that a final vote be delayed to give commissioners more time to consider Tuckerman's proposed assignments.

The list includes putting Tillotson back in charge of the personnel/ways and means committee that handles the most critical hiring and spending issues. Tillotson gave up chairmanship of the committee two years ago.

A meeting schedule that continues traditional dates was approved after discussion of separating personnel/ways and means meetings from monthly commission sessions. The meetings are held on consecutive days.

"The idea and the intent is something we should consider," said Tillotson. "It may be just a little green for us to make a decision on it this morning."

Suggestions were to move monthly commission meetings to a week after the committee session or to move up the committee session to create several days between the meetings.

Bolton also suggested quarterly night meetings this year to be held at rotating sites around the county.

Page 2 of 2 - "All of us would like to see more community participation in our meetings," said Tuckerman. Discussion of possible schedule changes are to be continued at the committee level.